Finishing Frenzy

After dragging my feet on quite a few projects, I finally found myself in a position to finish up a few things. First up is this cute little gift bag. I found the pattern, called Sweet Stranding, on Ravelry. Next time I make it, I will make some changes. For one thing, the base forms a punt like you'll find on the bottom of a wine bottle, which suggests to me that a few rounds of knitting need to be taken out. Anyway, I also want to make the bag a big wider and taller, because it occurred to me that if it were bigger it would make a cute way to gift wrap a pair of handmade socks, using up the leftover yarn from the socks.


I am especially tickled about this finish, because these babies are for me! I've got them on right now, in fact. I love all the colors and the way they change and blend. Next up will be a pair of socks for Meital.

I finished something else today, but I can't show it to you yet. I hope to do so in my next post. And finally, I am very, very close to finishing the pullover I've been making for Liat. I think I can get it done today, and that will make four finished projects in two days. Go, me!

I read an interesting idea on a blog I like, about choosing a word that will be the word of the year. I am going to use the word the blogger used a few years ago when she first started this practice. My word for this year will be "simplify." It's something I've been trying in a very disorganized fashion to do for a while now, cleaning out cabinets and getting rid of clutter. I hope to accomplish more in that area this year, but I think it would also be a good idea for me to think about ways I could make my life simpler and less stressful. Sometimes it just seems like there's too much going on. Do you ever feel that way?

Here's Your Hat

What's your hurry? Sorry, couldn't resist. The hat making binge lives on. Above are hats for a beautiful couple who currently live in northern Turkey. The multi-colored hat is made with Lorna's Laces wool yarn, worsted weight, in a special colorway called Crimson Pride, which is available only at Serendipity Needleworks in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I learned about this yarn on - where else? - Facebook, and Ellen of Serendipity was all that is helpful, efficient and lovely when I wrote asking if I could order from her shop from Israel. The yarn is soft and a delight to knit, and did you check out that shop? Avi already knows I want to visit Alabama this summer, and if we do, Serendipity Needleworks is on my must-see list! (Well, it's on my must-shop-there list, to be completely honest). Anyway, the above-mentioned couple are both proud graduates of the University of Alabama, but I suspected that he would rather a plain hat in a dark color. At least he'll be able to see her hat! Which of course, she won't be able to do while she's wearing it.



Moving on....another hat, using some of what was left from the hat above. This one is for a very special lady who is also a proud Crimson Tide fan. She's allergic to wool, though, so I attached the decorative braid to an acrylic hat so that the wool wouldn't bother her (that's the plan, anyway. Sure hope it works out that way). Her husband also got a plain gray hat. What is it with men and their plain, dark colors? Hrmph!

Summing Up & Looking Ahead

Thanks to the wonder that is Ravelry I am able to tell you after less than a minute of figuring, that in 2011 I completed 46 projects. Many of those projects were pairs of things (10 pairs of socks, for example) and two were sets of four. I made 13 hats and 9 toys, a couple of baby blankets, some sweaters, baby booties, slippers, two scarves and some fingerless mitts. I wonder what I'll make this year?

One knitting goal I have set for myself (aside from my on-going project to knit something for each of the 50 states) is to knit up as much as possible of the yarn in the photo above. This is by no means all of the yarn I have in my stash today, but it's a pretty good-sized chunk of it. Of course, having all of this yarn doesn't stop me from buying more (if you're a knitter or crocheter, you're nodding your head right now, aren't you?). So it's time to put the stash on a diet, and that should be helped by a couple of projects I already have in mind. One of them is an afghan for Liat (for which she has been waiting patiently for quite a long time now). I also forsee quite a few toys, more hats, and who knows what else? It will be a lot of fun to find out!

Gifts Galore

As usual, I didn't make all of the gifts I'd wanted to give before the holidays were over, but I did get a few things done. Above are the felted slippers I made way ahead of time for Meital. It was nice to have those ready early. She loves them, too - didn't even want to take them off to go to bed the first night!


I made a hat for a wonderful friend out of some Spud & Chloe Sweater (wonderful yarn, soft and a pleasure to knit with, by the way) that was given to me in a swap on Ravelry.


And I also made a few ornaments for friends. A fun, quick (and free) pattern that I found on Ravelry. I'm thinking next year I'll make miniature stocking ornaments. Better get an earlier start, though!

Then there are the belated gifts...A pair of hats is on the way to Turkey for a very special couple. Another hat on my needles is almost done, and I'm thinking I'll make one last gift hat, to send with that one. And what about Liat? Well, her hoodie is nearly done (but I've been distracted by hats!) and I hope to be able to show it to you soon. I know she is eager to wear it, so I really need to get a move on.

I also have some plans for community service knitting, which I am anxious to get back to. Amazing how much I have missed it, much though I love making things for people I know.

Wishing everyone a joyous and healthy 2012!

Chill Factor

After you've lived in Israel awhile, anything below about 50 degrees Farenheit starts to seem downright chilly. And if you live in Israel but travel frequently to Europe during the winter months, it's a good idea to bring along some woolies.

Or possibly an alpaca/merino wool blend.

I made the scarf shown above out of a yarn called Alpaca Sox, by the Classic Elite Yarns company. It worked up into a warm, soft fabric with a soft halo from the alpaca fiber. It was a birthday gift for a friend who, well, travels frequently to Europe during the winter months.

May he wear it in good health!

For the Littlest Ones

This is the preemie blanket I made for the NICU at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, California. I won't be able to color in a new state on my map, but I will be able to warm up one of the very littlest humans. The blanket makes me think of a doll blanket, though I tried to make it to the specifications suggested. Hoping to get it in the mail tomorrow.

If this purple yarn looks familiar, that's because I bought a whole, huge bunch of it thinking I would use it for an afghan for Liat. In the end, she and I decided not to use this yarn for that project. So far the skeins I purchased have become a sweater for her, a hat for a friend of hers, this blanket, and I don't remember what else! And I still have plenty left. Sigh. I am doing the best I can to use it up, so expect to see more purple knits in the next year.

A goal I've set for myself over the next year is to knit up all of the 100% acrylic yarn I've got in my stash. Yes, the colors and great, yes it's easy care, yes it's affordable, and yes it's soft. But whenever I knit with 100% wool (either superwash or not) I realize how much more enjoyment I get out of the knitting process. So I've decided to use up my acrylic and try very hard not to replace it with more of the same. I really like some of the acrylic/wool blends out there, like Plymouth Encore, and will continue to buy them. But no more 100% acrylic. I'm just not feeling the love anymore.

I want to send a big thank you!!! to my friend Joansie who wrote such a nice post about me on her blog (not going to link it because that would be pretty egotistical, I think). She is a sweet and lovely friend and I am very lucky to have her in my life. Some other time (once she's added another post or two to her blog) I will link so you can see what a great blog - and what lovely projects - she has.

Catching Up

Gibbs: "What's put you in such a fine mood?"
Jack: "We're catching up."
~ ~ ~ Pirates of the Caribbean, The Curse of the Black Pearl


I don't know how the time always manages to get away from me. But I'll try to catch you up with the things I've been doing for the last few weeks. Above is a photo of some toys I made over the weekend. They're called Squishies, and they're from a book I bought this past summer called Itty Bitty Toys, by Susan B. Anderson. What a fabulous book, full of adorable and easy-to-make toys. I have heard (and saw for myself last night) that these simple, squishy balls are fun for kids of all ages. I used worsted weight cotton yarn to make them. I gave two away last night but have two left in my toy stash for the next time I have visitors.


The picture here shows the second hat I made to go with the hat I showed you in my last post. This is also a free pattern from Susan B. Anderson and is available on the same blog I linked to last time. This is called the Watermelon Hat, but since I didn't have enough pink, I reversed the colors and called it a Not-er-melon Hat. Both hats have long since arrived in New Jersey and will be delivered to the children's hospital there.

And just today I finished up a preemie blanket that will be going to a hospital in California. Yes, I have already sent items to California, but since it is my home state I feel a special attachment. I'll show you the blanket the next time I post (don't want to show you everything I have all at once, that wouldn't do at all!).